Characterization of Anti-Goat Podoplanin Monoclonal Antibody PMab-235 Using Immunohistochemistry Against Goat Tissues.

Podoplanin (PDPN)/T1alpha is expressed on lymphatic endothelial cells, type I alveolar cells of the lungs, and podocytes of the kidney. PDPN possesses three platelet aggregation-stimulating (PLAG) domains (PLAG1, PLAG2, and PLAG3) of the N-terminus and the PLAG-like domains (PLDs). We previously reported an anti-goat PDPN (gPDPN) monoclonal antibody (mAb), PMab-235, which was developed using the Cell-Based Immunization and Screening (CBIS) method. PMab-235 is very useful in flow cytometry, Western blotting, and immunohistochemical analyses; however, the binding epitope of PMab-235 remains to be elucidated. In this study, we investigated the epitopes of PMab-235 using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunohistochemistry. The results revealed that the critical epitope of PMab-235 produced by CBIS method is Arg75, Leu78, and Pro79 of gPDPN, which is included in PLD. The findings of our study can be applied to the production of more functional anti-gPDPN mAbs.

Anti-Bovine Podoplanin Monoclonal Antibody PMab-44 Detects Goat Podoplanin in Immunohistochemistry.

Podoplanin (PDPN) is expressed in type I alveolar cells, kidney podocytes, and lymphatic endothelial cells. We have characterized the PDPNs of various animal species using specific anti-PDPN monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). In this study, we investigated whether these anti-PDPN mAbs cross-react with goat PDPN (gPDPN). Flow cytometry demonstrated that the anti-bovine PDPN mAb PMab-44 (IgG1, kappa) reacts with gPDPN, which is overexpressed in CHO-K1 cells. Using immunohistochemical analysis, type I alveolar cells of goat lung were strongly detected by PMab-44. These results indicate that PMab-44 is useful for investigating gPDPN.

Detection of Tiger Podoplanin Using the Anti-Cat Podoplanin Monoclonal Antibody PMab-52.

Podoplanin (PDPN) is expressed in type I alveolar cells of lung but not in type II alveolar cells. PDPN is also known as a specific lymphatic endothelial cell marker because PDPN is not expressed in vascular endothelial cells. PDPNs of several animals have been characterized using specific anti-PDPN monoclonal antibodies (mAbs): PMab-1, PMab-2, PMab-32, PMab-38, PMab-44, and PMab-52 for mouse, rat, rabbit, dog, bovine, and cat PDPNs, respectively. In this study, we investigated the possible crossreaction between these anti-PDPN mAbs and tiger PDPN. Flow cytometry and western blot analyses revealed that the anti-cat PDPN mAb PMab-52 (IgM, kappa) reacted with tiger PDPN, which is overexpressed in Chinese hamster ovary-K1 cells. Using immunohistochemical analysis, type I alveolar cells of the tiger lung were strongly detected by PMab-52. These results indicate that PMab-52 may be useful for the detection of tiger PDPN.

Podocalyxin is crucial for the growth of oral squamous cell carcinoma cell line HSC-2.

Oral cancers constitute approximately 2% of all cancers, with the most common histological type being oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), representing 90% of oral cancers. Although diagnostic technologies and therapeutic techniques have progressed, the survival rate of patients with OSCC is still 60%, whereas the incidence rate has increased. Podocalyxin (PODXL) is a highly glycosylated type I transmembrane protein that is detected in normal tissues such as heart, breast, and pancreas as well as in many cancers, including lung, renal, breast, colorectal, and oral cancers. This glycoprotein is associated with the progression, metastasis, and poor outcomes of oral cancers. PODXL overexpression was strongly detected using our previously established anti-PODXL monoclonal antibody (mAb), PcMab-47, and its mouse IgG2a-type, 47-mG2a. In previous studies, we also generated PODXL-knock out (PODXL-KO) cell lines using SAS OSCC cell lines, in order to investigate the function of PODXL in the proliferation of oral cancer cells. The growth of SAS/PODXL-KO cell lines was observed to be lower than that of parental SAS cells. For this study, PODXL-KO OSCC cell lines were generated using HSC-2 cells, and the role of PODXL in the growth of OSCC cell lines in vitro was assessed. Decreased growth was observed for HSC-2/PODXL-KO cells compared with HSC-2 parental cells. The influence of PODXL on tumor growth of OSCC was also investigated in vivo, and both the tumor volume and the tumor weight were observed to be significantly lower for HSC-2/PODXL-KO than that for HSC-2 parental cells. These results, taken together, indicate that PODXL plays an important role in tumor growth, both in vitro and in vivo.

Epitope mapping of an anti-alpha thalassemia/mental retardation syndrome X-linked monoclonal antibody AMab-6.

The alpha-thalassemia/mental-retardation-syndrome-X-linked (ATRX) gene is located on the q arm of the X chromosome. ATRX gene mutations were first discovered in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, and subsequently in other cancer subtypes, including gliomas. Molecular subgrouping of gliomas has been more important than conventional histological classifications. Mutations in the isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH), telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter, and ATRX and the codeletion of chromosomes 1p/19q are used as biomarkers for diagnosing the subtypes of diffuse gliomas. We recently developed a sensitive monoclonal antibody (mAb) AMab-6 against ATRX by immunizing mice with recombinant human ATRX. AMab-6 can help to detect ATRX mutations via Western blotting and immunohistochemical analyses. In this study, we characterized the binding epitope of AMab-6 using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blotting, and immunohistochemical analysis, and found that Gln2368 of ATRX is critical for AMab-6 binding to ATRX. Our findings could be applied to the production of more functional anti-ATRX mAbs.